A Rainy Night Drive That Taught Me Faith and Calm

Yesterday, I drove home after our school graduation ceremony. It was dark, raining hard, and it was high time — the roads were wet, slippery, and visibility was down by almost 50%. The windshield was blurry and constantly washed out by the rain. I could barely see the road ahead, relying only on car headlights, streetlights, building glows, and my instincts.

Despite the conditions, I felt grateful. Grateful to my father for buying the car. Grateful to the people who designed and built it. Cars are amazing — and even in that storm, I arrived home dry after traveling over 41 kilometers from the city. But, of course, the car isn’t perfect. It's not built like a tank. And just 10-15 km before reaching home, things started to go wrong.

Suddenly, the car stopped responding. Pressing the gas pedal did nothing — the engine wasn’t getting any fuel. It was already 10 PM, and we were stuck in the dark. No one was around to help. It was just me, my mom, and my sister. And I knew — I was the one who had to fix it.

Strangely, I wasn’t nervous. I stayed calm. I remembered what my brother and father told me: If the engine starts but the fuel isn’t flowing, the problem might be with the fuel pump. So, I tapped the fuel pump a few times to re-calibrate it.

It worked. We started driving again.

But just 2 kilometers later, the same problem happened again — right before a massive road swamp. The water was high, reaching halfway up the tires. I tried accelerating, but again, no fuel was being pumped. My mom started worrying.

I told her, “What if some magic happens?”

I kept my foot on the gas. The engine began to cough, choke, and then suddenly started receiving fuel again — like reviving an old, tired machine.

As we entered the swamp, the car struggled, but I didn’t panic. I kept faith. I kept pressing the pedal gently but firmly until the fuel started flowing continuously. Slowly, the car passed through the water and came back to life. We were back on the road — soaked on the outside, but safe and dry inside.

As we neared home, my mom thanked God. For me, it was a moment that strengthened my resolve: Don't overreact during tough times. Stay calm. Use what you know. Trust what you’ve learned. If things still don’t work out, that’s okay — there’s always tomorrow.

Not every pain has to be suffered today. Faith in yourself, in what surrounds you, and in the invisible forces — whether you call it luck, fate, or grace — will get you through.

Yesterday, we were lucky. And I was reminded that luck often favors those who stay calm and keep going.